The newly released guide maps out special two- to three-day driving getaways as well as more detailed routes for longer vacations throughout California’s 12 diverse regions, according to a news release.

“California is home to many iconic destinations—many of which are best viewed from the road. Visitors who travel our highways and byways can experience the incredible diversity of the state from its spectacular coastline to the higher ground of the Sierra and everything in between,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California.

“California Road Trips 2012 reinforces the best of California with a focus on our incredible attractions that every member of the family will enjoy.”

This year, the theme of the guide, produced by Visit California and Sunset Publishing, is “Family Fun,” a focus that has special resonance in California, with its abundance of attractions from historical sites, educational museums, and hands-on experiences to incomparable theme parks to outdoor adventures.

Each itinerary presents a range of activities for all kinds of travelers, inviting people to stop, explore, learn, and have fun.

Inside California Road Trips 2012, readers will find inside scoops on things to see and do and the abundance of activities they’ll find throughout the state of California. As part of the guide’s “Strike it Rich” trip, drivers can fuel up for a trip back through time into California’s Gold Country.

In “Welcome to Adventureland,” visitors discover wild beaches, serene tide pools and a surprise safari along California’s North Coast.

San Diego Skyline (Source: Visit California)

They can also head for the “Great Wild North” to sample outdoor adventures in the mountains, lakes, and secret swimming holes of California’s Shasta Cascade.

This is shaping up to be California’s best summer ever as 2012 is a huge year for theme parks and attractions with new rides and attractions opening from north to south, including Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park, the new Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, and SeaWorld’s first thrill ride—Manta!

This year’s issue of Road Trips will see one million distributions, with 600,000 guides being distributed in the June 2012 issue of Sunset magazine; the remaining 400,000 will be distributed through domestic and international direct fulfillment and trade shows.

Details

Visit California

Visit California (formerly known as the California Travel & Tourism Commission) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs—in partnership with the state travel industry—that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination.

According to Visit California, travel and tourism expenditures total $102.3 billion annually in California (20 percent of which is international), support jobs for 893,000 Californians and generate $6.3 billion in state and local tax revenues.

Address: P.O. Box 1499, Sacramento, CA 95812-1499

Phone: (916) 444-4429 or (877) 225-4367 (toll free in U.S. and Canada)